Hoda Kotb made space to create a memory, and it was simply enchanting.
She explains in the new episode of her podcast, “Making Space with Hoda Kotb,” why Taylor Swift's song "Enchanted" made her think of the first time she held her daughter Hope, now 4.
The TODAY co-anchor, who is also mom to 6-year-old daughter Haley, tells the story to Fox NFL reporter Erin Andrews on the podcast's third episode of Season Four, which premiered Nov. 22.
"I’m looking at Hope, and she’s looking at me, and the song comes on, and all of a sudden I get —" Hoda explains before Andrews interjects with, "I’m crying."
Hoda continues, "I go, 'Hope, you know what this is reminding me of?' And she goes, 'Your eyes are wet.' I go, 'Enchanted to meet you.'"
The "enchanted" phrase is a line in Swift's song, and Hoda says in that moment of listening to it with Hope, she realized why it stirred her up.
"I go, 'Hopey, the first time you were placed in my arms, I realized that’s the word,'" Hoda, who adopted her younger daughter in 2019, explains.
"She said, 'What does enchanted mean?'" Hoda recalls of Hope's response. "I said, 'Enchanted means ... it’s more than delighted. It’s the best, the biggest word.'"
Hoda says she's glad she took the time to sit in that moment rather than getting to their busy schedule.
"And in that moment, I thought to myself, 'Oh, my God, in two minutes, we made a memory,'" Hoda says in awe. "I could have been running, because I usually am, (like), 'Oh, my God, get this, get your coat, get your coat.' It's just like trying to slow the world down."
Shortly after adopting Hope, Hoda called in to TODAY to share her joy.
“I’m feeding her, and I can’t believe it," a tearful Hoda said at the time. “I’m so happy she’s here!”
Hoda said naming her daughter Hope was in homage to her journey of wanting a second child. The word "hope" appeared in her journal "about 10 million times" when she wrote about the topic, she said.
“The name came because there are a lot of women out there who are hoping that their day is coming, too, and I know the feeling of it not happening for a long time,” she said.
